HISTORY TIP OF THE DAY

Buffalo Bill Cody entertains Pope Leo XIII, March 8th, 1890

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West was a three-hour show that included, among many other entertainments, recreations of Indian attacks, train robberies, buffalo hunting, and displays of riding, roping, and shooting—even a reenactment of Custer’s Last Stand. The show created a sensation during a European tour. In Rome, Pope Leo XIII personally conducted a tour for Cody and Sitting Bull. To promote the show, an Indian village was built inside the Coliseum and a mock shoot-out was staged in St. Peter’s Square, followed by a sharpshooting exhibition by Annie Oakley. And the show’s concessionaires introduced another American creation to the Italians—popcorn!